The Lion Tattoo
by AndiiRenee
Summary: This takes place starting at the end of the Season 3 finale. Robin Hood is reunited with Maid Marian after Emma brings her back from the Enchanted Forest. Regina is left alone again believing her chance at true love is not meant to be until she has a chance encounter with the dark and handsome Will Scarlet. There is a twist. OQ Endgame. Happy reading! T Rating for now.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first time writing this kind of thing so hopefully it's not too tragic. Regina can't seem to catch a break on OUAT so I'm gonna help her out here a little bit. I apologize there is not a lot of dialogue in this chapter, however, I promise subsequent chapters will have dialogue and additional character development. I haven't seen Frozen so there will be no Elsa, however, I am going to introduce my own new character...Will Scarlet. I also apologize for this first chapter in particular as it a lot of background information that you already know but I feel like it is important and so I wrote it. If anyone ends up reading this and people seem to be interested I will really try and update it as often as possible, but between a job and school, updates might not come as often as I would like, but I will do my best. I have a feeling this may end up being a pretty lengthy story, and I'm not exactly sure how I'm gonna get from on point to the next but I think it will be a fun ride. I hope you all enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. If I did I would be living in a fat mansion sipping on delicious fruity beverage out by my pool partying with my friends.**

**Chapter 1**

She almost couldn't believe that it was happening again. There was no way, for the second time, she was being robbed of her chance of true happiness, but as she glanced toward the man she had come to love, embracing the wife he had long believed dead and their precious young son, it became all too real.

In a split second though all her hurt turned into rage as she snapped her head toward Emma Swan, "you did this?" she said with the slightest crack in her voice.

The blonde woman shifted her eyes away from Regina's hateful gaze, "I'm sorry I just wanted to save her life," she muttered guiltily.

"You're just like your mother, never thinking of the consequences. You just better hope to hell you didn't bring anything else back with you," Regina's every word dripped with loathing.

For a moment Regina could feel the anger boiling inside of her and her old habits wanting to take hold. She wanted to set Granny's ablaze and with a flick of her wrist she could have, but as she gazed around the room her rage dissipated back into deep hurt. Her brown eyes searched for and eventually met the eyes of the only person at that moment she could find it within herself to look at, her sweet son Henry. There he was, sitting with the Charming's, the people she once considered her archenemies, turned not quiet friends, but moving in that direction. She could see in Henry's eyes a look of deep sorrow as he realized what was happening to his mother. She had finally found someone she was happy with and it was being torn from her grasp. She was a hero now and she deserved her happy ending like everyone else. He held her gaze as if to tell her it was going to be okay and she could feel her eyes beginning to fill with tears, but she would not let these people see her cry and she directed her stare towards the floor.

She loved her son so much, and she was looking forward to making up for lost time with him. He had been the only person for so long that she had ever allowed herself to feel anything for. For so long he had believed that she hadn't loved him, but he couldn't have been more mistaken. She would have laid down her life for that boy and had been prepared to do so on several occasions throughout his life. She never thought the love that she bore him could be matched, but she had been proven wrong.

For some reason from the moment she had first spoken to him here in Storybrooke, when he'd mistakenly shot an arrow at her she'd been unexplainably drawn to him, and when she regained all of her memories after breaking the curse she knew even in the Enchanted Forest this man seemed to know how to push her buttons. Over the years Regina had become very good at keeping people out. She had a tongue that could draw blood and a look that could quiet literally kill. Her mother had told her once that love was a weakness, and so being aloof had become her defense mechanism against that feeling.

Upon meeting the man called Robin Hood she had tried to use her "Evil Queen" persona upon him, but it was just as if he never bought into it. He was not intimidated by her like everyone else was. He didn't shy away when she was curt with him. In fact, on many occasions he would just give her a mischievous lopsided grin and step aside, letting her take the lead while he was more than happy to be in the supporting role. In the beginning it frustrated her that he didn't give her the reaction she wanted, but as time went on it intrigued her.

When she found herself back in Storybrooke, in a war with her own sister, Zelena the Wicked Witch, with no memory of the previous year in the Enchanted Forest, it was one of the first occasions they had worked together and it was a moment that would alter the course of Regina's life. For some reason she couldn't explain, she had agreed to allow Robin to accompany her on a little fact finding mission to the farmhouse that Zelena was occupying at the time.

She would never forget that while they were investigating the home he had questioned her evil moniker as she seemed to not be evil at all but instead "bold and audacious". Her back had been turned to him when he said that and she found herself smiling, practically giddy at his description of her. For so long she saw nothing in herself other than ugliness and cruelty and she lashed out so everyone else would identify her with those attributes. However, here was this man, practically a stranger, a stranger who knew she had been the "Evil Queen" in the Enchanted Forest. He knew she had done unspeakable, horrible things and he had still called her "bold and audacious". He was a mystery to her and she intended to figure him out.

After getting her emotions under control she turned to face him displaying a poker face so he wouldn't know that she had been more than pleased at the words he had used to characterize her. He began asking her questions about magic and potions and she answered each question slowly and articulately. Suddenly he swiftly walked towards her and stopped with his face just inches from hers. When her dark chocolate eyes met his deep blue stare she felt as if he was looking right through her and it terrified her while at the same time thrilling her. He was so close she could feel his breath. She was afraid he was going to try and kiss her, but then he simply reached around her towards the shelf she was leaning against. He grabbed a bottle of liquid and questioned her as to whether or not it was magic potion, his face still inches from hers and his gaze heavy. She explained that in a way it was, but it wasn't magic in the truest sense, it was just whiskey or the layman's liquid courage. With that explanation he raised his eyebrows and pushed himself back towards the dining room table and began pouring them both a glass of the dark amber beverage.

When Robin moved to pour the drinks the strange sensation of disappointment washed over Regina. She couldn't believe it, but she knew she was disappointed he hadn't tried to kiss her. Then it happened. As Robin pushed up his sleeve she saw it…the lion tattoo. It was the exact same tattoo that she had seen many years ago when Tinkerbell had used fairy dust to lead her to her one true love. She had not gone into the tavern that night overtaken by fear, but she had seen very clearly the lion tattoo upon the man's wrist, the very tattoo she was looking at now. Once again, she let the feeling of fear overtake her and she had run out of the farmhouse with no explanation. Robin, she found though, was undeterred, and wherever Regina was Robin was right by her side. He became her constant companion, her shadow anytime they went on a mission.

She realized at some point that she had begun to depend upon this man. She had never known what it was like for someone to have her back, to unconditionally support her, and she hated to admit it, but she liked it. She especially liked that it was Robin.

It was when she gave her heart to Robin that she knew she had completely fallen. For her, that moment had a double meaning. Yes, she was giving him her heart for safe keeping until after Zelena was defeated, but in a sense she knew she was literally giving it to him because she had accepted that her heart belonged to him, and she felt that her heart would be in good hands with him.

It was strange that after he had essentially lost it she wasn't even mad, in fact she felt a strong sense of compassion for him, and compassion was a feeling she was not prone to feel. She knew he had done it to keep his son safe and that made her heart, now in the hands of Zelena, swell for him even more. She assured him that it was okay, and the safety of little Roland was more important, but she could tell that he was deeply troubled at the thought that he had let her down.

After a long talk with Snow that evening she made up her mind to let him know how she felt. As she marched into the woods where he and his Merry Men were residing she was practicing the speech she had planned out in her head. She found him stoking the fire and when he saw her walking towards him with what appeared to be a strong purpose he assumed she was there to scold him for being careless with her heart. He immediately began to try and explain himself.

This man never ceased to amaze her and she could not comprehend how someone so good would even think of putting up with someone like her. Suddenly her primal instinct took over and her carefully crafted speech went out the window as he continued to earnestly vow to get her heart back. When he was done speaking she tightly grabbed him by the collar of his coat and yanked him towards her, firmly pushing her lips against his. She became scared as she felt him immediately stiffen and abruptly pulled back expecting to see pity, or even worse, revulsion in his eyes. However, her greatest fears were put to rest as he met her gaze with fire and passion. He pulled her close to him and held her tight as their lips met once more, and that was what she thought would be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

From that moment forward he had made her so happy she could barely believe this was her life. When she had been heartbroken that Henry couldn't remember her due to the curse that had been placed upon them he had been able to make her smile. He had lifted her up and believed in her during the whole ordeal with Zelena, never leaving her side. She had bared her soul to him within her house mere hours before this moment. She revealed to him how Tinkerbell had led her to him once before and she'd been too afraid to approach him. In front of the warm fireplace, with her heart beating strongly in her chest, beating for Robin Hood she had given him the last part of herself that there was to give. She had cried tears of joy when he looked into her eyes and said he loved her in that moment, and she had looked directly in his eyes and without fear replied in kind because it was true. She had fallen hopelessly in love with this man and she was far beyond of the point of no return. Even minutes before she had entered Granny's she and Robin had been walking down the street on either side of Roland, each of them holding one of his tiny little hands, and it felt like she finally had a place where she belonged…a family, a real family. It seemed as though after decades of unhappiness everything was falling into place.

The evolution of Robin Hood in her life was almost funny to her. Somehow he had gone from an annoyance, to her friend and companion, to someone she loved deeply and couldn't imagine being without. It was more than some pixie dust and a tattoo that convinced her that this was the real thing. It was the way he looked at her with his bright blue eyes like he she was the only woman in the world and like he could see right down into her soul. It was the way he always protected her and made it a point to see if she was alright. It was the way he ran his fingers through her hair when they had first kissed and every time after that. It was the way he never judged her for her past and assured her that who she was then was not who she was now. And finally, it was the way he had persisted, had never given up on her, and had, little by little chipped away at the fortress that she had built around her heart. He made her feel safe, wanted and loved, feelings she had forgotten she could feel, feelings she foolishly believed would last.

Suddenly she was brought back to reality when she looked back up and saw that most of the patrons in the diner were looking in her direction, no doubt, afraid of what she was going to do. Her eyes once again were brought back to the touching scene of a family reunited. Her eyes were not just watering anymore as the tears began to roll down her cheeks and she knew she had to get out of the diner as quickly as she could. She whirled around and roughly shoved Emma out of her way as she made her way to the exit.

When she stepped outside the cool air felt good against her face and gave her a very tiny bit of relief. Before she realized what was happening she was running as fast as her legs would carry her in no particular direction. Her vision had become blurred as the stream of tears intensified. Suddenly, she could faintly hear a familiar voice desperately calling her name, "Regina! Regina stop! Regina wait!" Then a chorus of other voices, "Mom wait!" "Regina!"

She knew the first voice was Robin and the other voices belonged to Henry, Snow, and Tinkerbell. She just couldn't face them right now. As she ran she began to hear the steady footfalls and knew that Robin was close on her heels and would eventually catch up with her if she kept running, so she resorted to her specialty and in a puff of purple smoke she disappeared before all their eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thanks everybody for the reads and the positive comments. Absolutely made my day :D Well I have written another Chapter in the saga. This again is a bit of a background chapter, but I have to get things set up for the real drama to start unfolding. Forgive me...as it is a chapter all about Regina, without any Regina. I have written Henry a little more mature than I feel like they do on the show, so hopefully that won't put anyone off. Enjoy and have a safe wonderful weekend!**

**Disclaimer: Once again I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 2**

"Marian?!" Robin believed his eyes must be betraying him. How was his Marian standing before him? Without a second thought he sprang up from where he had been sitting and wrapped his arms around the wife he had believed to be dead. She must not be real, but as he pulled back and looked into her hazel eyes he knew that it was really her. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and pulled her in close once more.

"Mama?" little Roland pondered as he toddled over and gazed up at the strange woman his father had his arms wrapped around.

At the sound of the tiny voice Marian craned her head around and locked her eyes upon the son she barely knew. "Roland? My baby," she exclaimed as she knelt down and pulled the child into her embrace.

Robin was still in disbelief as he watched his wife hug their son. The whole scene was completely surreal. He pulled them both into his chest and laid his forehead against Marian's when a jingling of bells signaling the opening of the door to Granny's Diner jolted him back into the present moment. As he brought his gaze up, he noticed everyone's face had gone pale and his heart sank into the pit of his stomach because he knew. Regina. He lifted his head higher and scanned the room noticing the raven haired woman was no longer anywhere to be found. He looked back at his wife and he could read the look of confusion written all over her face, but he didn't have time to explain at the moment. He had to make sure Regina was okay, even though he knew the answer after he realized what she must have witnessed.

"Marian watch Roland. I must do something and I can't explain right now, but I promise to when I return," and with that he ran at full speed towards the door after the woman who hours before he had made an admission of love to. Her son Henry was close behind and following him were Snow White and Tinkerbell.

As he stepped outside he could barely make out the dark silhouette of a woman beneath the towns lights, "Regina! Regina stop! Regina wait!" he called desperately. He didn't know what he would say to her if she stopped but he needed to speak to her. He needed to look at her face. When he realized she had no intention of stopping or even slowing down for that matter he burst into an all out sprint. He was an outdoorsman and a hunter and many hours spent in the woods on foot tracking and hunting meant he was in excellent shape. He was on the back of her heels and just about to overtake her. He reached out to capture her wrist and turn her to face him, but as his hand closed he realized he was grasping nothing. She had vanished and for a few moments he was left disoriented in a cloud of purple smoke.

"What did you do?!" Henry screamed furiously at him, "what did you do?! She was finally happy and you just walked away from her like she didn't even matter! How could you do that?!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…I just was…I couldn't believe it when Marian was standing right…right there in front of me. What was I supposed to do?" Robin stammered trying to justify his behavior.

"Robin what is Henry talking about?" Snow asked out of breath as she and Tinkerbell finally caught up to them.

"I can answer that," Tinkerbell spoke up raising her hand as she approached the scene, "you see Robin here is Regina's soulmate. Her _true love_…or so I thought."

"How can you know that?" Snow asked Tink looking perplexed.

Tinkerbell sighed, "This is a long story, but I'll try and keep it simple. I met Regina after she had married your father and before she became the Evil Queen. She was miserable and ready to end her life standing on the edge of her balcony when I first saw her. She was the most heartbroken and sad soul I had ever spoken to, and I made up my mind that I had to help her. I broke all the rules and stole a bit of fairy dust. I told Regina if she used that fairy dust that it would lead her to her _one_ true love and it did…it led her to this man, but it seems your daughter has made a bit of a mess bringing back Marian from the Enchanted Forest," she said exasperatedly.

"Regina was going to kill herself?" Snow exclaimed, surprised as that did not seem like the tenacious woman she had come to know, "If Robin Hood is her true love why are we only finding out about this now?"

Tink looked at Snow, as if to question whether she really needed an answer to this. "You know how Regina is…she puts on this facade to keep people out, but deep down she is fragile and scared. Regina has been let down time and time again by people she loves and trusts, and it scares her to let people in. She just let her fear get the better of her that night and never introduced herself to Robin, and so he never knew she existed. In fact, she never even got a look at his face that night. The only thing she saw was a lion tattoo on the man's wrist," Tinkerbell said as she grabbed Robin's arm pulling back his sleeve to reveal to her audience the distinct marking. "Robin went on to marry Marian and Regina went on to become The Evil Queen."

Snow sighed, "And so our little war began," she closed her eyes and hung her head with the knowledge that history had just repeated itself, and what made it worse was that her own daughter had set these events in motion. Snow was filled with remorse all over again, feeling somewhat responsible for the position Regina was in. She lifted her head and directed her mournful gaze towards Robin. "Robin did you know this?" Snow asked.

"Yes…she only told me this story tonite. She…she opened up to me and told me everything. She finally fully opened up to me," he looked up at the two women sorrowfully.

"You don't deserve her," Henry's voice broke in as he pushed through between Snow and Tinkerbell to face Robin, "you don't deserve to be her true love. She trusted you with her heart and you just discarded her in there."

"Henry, Marian is my wife. The mother of my son. I…I thought she was dead and then there she was standing before me, a ghost come to life. What could I have possibly…."

Henry cut him off, "You could have reassured her somehow, you could have glanced her way, you could have acknowledged her in any way, but you didn't! You didn't do any of those things...you just forgot about her…you just forgot about her," and with that last statement his voice trailed off and his eyes drifted towards his grandmother Snow White, "She's always being forgotten about or treated like she doesn't have feelings, and even when she's tried we've always thought the worst, me included," his voice cracked a bit at the realization of the pain he himself had caused the woman who had raised him.

"Oh Henry come here, Regina is strong she'll get through this." Snow said as she pulled him close to her trying to bring him a bit of comfort because even as she said the words she didn't know if she believed them. Regina had been through the wringer and although her heart was strong and resilient, she wasn't sure her heart could survive another crack.

Henry quietly asked with desperation in his voice, "What are we going to do? I don't want her to hurt anymore. She doesn't deserve it. She deserves a chance to be happy."

"Well first things first, we have to find her and make sure she doesn't do anything rash," Tinkerbell interjected, "and we better get a move on, as her magic puts her several steps ahead of us at all times."

"Agreed," Robin said turning around.

"No…not you. You can't go. You need to stay here," Henry said in a firm voice as he broke from Snow's grasp and took hold of Robin's arm.

Robin slowly turned around towards the teen, "What do you mean I can't go? I have to make sure she's okay. I have to see her."

"The look I saw on my mom's face tonite was not unfamiliar to one I've seen before because it's been one I've put there. I've hurt my mom on several occasions because I was selfish, but I was wrong about her, and I have a lot of making up to do. Now it's my job to protect her and you're not getting anywhere near her," he said solemnly looking Robin directly in the eyes.

"Robin, maybe Henry is right. Maybe you should stay here and tend to Marian and Roland. We will make sure Regina is okay, but this is probably for the best." Snow said softly.

Robin turned his gaze toward Tink hoping for at least one person to be on his side, but he didn't get it. "I'm with Snow and Henry on this one. I'm sorry," she said feeling dreadful as she knew his intentions were good.

Robin hung his head in defeat with the realization he had lost the vote three to one, "Have it your way then, but you must know I never meant to hurt her. I would never want to be the cause of her pain. This was out of my control, and you can't know how sorry I am. Please tell her how very sorry I am," and with that he turned and slowly walked back towards the diner in the distance.

Once Robin was out of earshot Tink worriedly said to her two companions, "Well let's go I have a feeling things aren't going to be pretty."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright everyone this chapter is kind of heavy so prepare yourself. Get through it and I assure you it is going to be okay. Regina is my number one jam and I'll take care of her, but I wanted to convey the internal battle she is having with her very raw emotions and how she is going to handle herself when she pulls herself together. It's gonna be bad for awhile but then it will get good again, and I promise we'll get to a point where characters are interacting and all that jazz, but I like being thorough. Like I said I can see this story being llloooooonnnnggg. Also please excuse any of my spelling, grammatical and punctual errors as I've never been that good at the mechanics of writing. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not the owner.  
**

**Chapter 3**

When Regina reformed she found herself in her enormous mansion, alone. All of the lights had been turned off and the darkness just seemed to exacerbate her state of affairs. It was strange but she could actually hear the silence and feel the weight of loneliness pulling her down as if to try and drown her in water that she could not see.

In her life before Robin Hood everything in her house was perfect, nothing was ever out of place. It was immaculate and sparkling clean at all times, almost as if no one had ever lived there, because in a sense no one did. But since he had come into her life there were dishes in the sink, throw pillows and blankets on the floor of her living room, unfolded laundry in the dryer, and a bed still unmade. Not messy, but just an indication that people lived here. That this was a place where things happened, not just a box where an isolated bitter woman existed day in and day out.

She looked around her large foyer that gave her a view directly into the kitchen and dining room of her home and thought to herself this is what she had been used to for so long…loneliness, darkness and silence. She had somehow convinced herself that it was what she wanted, but in the short period of time that she had spent with Robin she had come to know joy and laughter in this house. She had felt the presence of love in all of these rooms and now it was nothing; it was just simply emptiness. She giggled maniacally because she had convinced herself of something that was only ever an illusion. She had been foolish and the burst of fury she had felt when she had looked at Emma in Granny's Diner reignited. Her eyes glazed over and the rage consumed her as she briskly walked over to her dining room table and pulled the table cloth with all her strength causing all her fine china dishes to splinter into razor-like shards all over her dark hardwood floors. She then turned her attention to her living room grabbing the onyx black glass vase her mother had given to her as a "wedding" gift when she had married King Leopold and forcefully hurled it against the wall. She finally entered a hallway of her home where a glass display case housed many fine trinkets and magnificent works of art that she had brought back with her from the Enchanted Forest. With a hellish stare and wave of her hand the glass shattered and the shelves fell to the floor and all that fine craftsmanship was left in countless pieces.

When she finally came back to and realized what she had done, the all too familiar chill of the home had returned and like an invader it seemed to work its' way under her skin, and she could feel the icy cold of solitude settle back into her bones actually causing her physical pain. She doubled over and fell to her knees as the weight of her heartache finally became too much and overtook her. She put her hands to her face to muffle her cries as she let the sobs wrack her body. It felt like someone had punched her right in the stomach and she was gasping for breath. It felt as though loneliness had now firmly wrapped its' leathery cold fingers around her ankle pulling her ever harder down into the depths of the frigid ice water that she could not see but she could most definitely feel. She was thrashing trying to rise above it, but her fortitude was beginning to wane and the chill began to paralyze her. With that she used her last bit of physical strength and crawled on her hands and knees to the nearest wall for support, and let her anguish pull her under the freezing unseen pool.

She wasn't sure how long she had been on the floor when she heard her name being shouted again. Her eyes opened wide and readjusted to the dark room. She realized at some point she must have fallen into a fitful sleep because her body ached all over and her head was throbbing, but hearing her name again startled her fully awake. She had never expected that once she had transported herself that anyone would come looking for her…they never had before.

There had been several instances she had been an integral part of defeating some kind of darkness that was getting ready to engulf Storybrooke, and after it was over and everyone was safe they would always cheer and hail Emma for being the savior, while she was left a pariah. She knew that maybe she had deserved some of it, but she had been trying to make an honest effort to change her ways. She was trying to do good, for her son, even sometimes she thought for herself, but it never seemed to matter to the people of Storybrooke. She just couldn't measure up to the perfection of the Charmings. Even in Neverland, it had been her who had insisted on continuing to look for Henry while the rest of them just had to find Neal. After they got back from that little adventure she got a small win when Snow had been the only one to speak up and thank her for her contribution; saying that it wouldn't have been possible to get Henry back without her. With that thought a pang of regret hit Regina as she thought of what she had put Snow through for all those years in the Enchanted Forest because even after all of that Snow was still one of the only people who would stand up for her.

She mustered up all her willpower and using her knuckles pushed herself up into a weak standing position and using the wall to brace her weight made her way to her front window. She moved the curtain aside to see who was coming for her, and through the mist that seemed to overrun Storybrooke during the evenings this time of year Regina spied Snow White, Tinkerbell, and her son Henry running towards her house…no Robin. Of course no Robin. He had his wife, the mother of his child, his first love, his first chance, why would he come to her? She removed her hand from the curtain and took one step backwards back into the darkness of her home where she knew she had a decision to make.

Henry was in the lead of the trio as they began running up her walkway and while part of her wanted to run to her door and open it, embrace her son, cry on Snow's shoulder and pour her heart out to Tink, the prideful part of her personality won. She had made her decision she was not ready for anyone to see her this way, vulnerable. Vulnerability was not her strong suit. She had changed for the better in many ways but she was still Regina Mills after all, Mayor of Storybrooke and former Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest, and she didn't want to appear weak in front of anybody. She would begin the healing on her own. She needed time to process her feelings and recuperate and so she waved her hand casting a curse on her home making it an impenetrable fortress. All the doors and windows were securely locked down. She wasn't going out and most definitely nothing and no one was coming in.

She slowly turned and walked up the stairs to her room, like a wounded animal she needed to cleanse herself of the emotional damage that she had endured this evening. The firm pounding on the door began and the desperate pleas for her to open it reached her ears, but she didn't look back. She went into her bedroom without turning on any lights and shut the door. She sat on her unmade bed and looked straight ahead out the window into the pitch black night. She considered her options and decided there were two paths that she could follow. She could take the easy road, the road to self-destruction, fall back into her old habits, freeze everyone out and become the Regina of the past; or she could take the path of true strength and will herself forward. She might make mistakes along the way, but she could learn from them. She made up her mind then and there that she would not allow this to destroy her. She had a son that was more precious to her than anything in her life and she wanted to prove to him that he had been right about her when he called her a hero. He would be her inspiration, but truth be told she realized she had friends too. Snow and Tink were both down there right now begging for her to open the door so they could make sure she was going to survive this latest heartbreak. She knew she would open that door eventually and let the people that cared about her in, but she had to go through this part on her own. Although at the moment she found herself in a dark place she could see a small sliver of light shining through. This time she would not let the blackness engulf her. This time she would focus on that beam of light and come out the other side. The process of learning how to get over love lost for the second time had started, but this time she would handle herself much differently.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I would just like to thank all of you once again for your kind words and encouragement. It definitely means a lot to me as I was worried about even posting this story in the beginning, but you all have been so nice that I have been excited to get this story out of my mind and onto "paper" :D **

**I know some of you are probably like...ummm where's Robin, what's that dude up to. Don't worry Robin will be re-entering our little tale very soon. Possibly the next chapter I'm not sure. All I have when I start these chapters is a basic idea and the rest I kind of write on the fly. I know people might be worried but I'm an OQ Shipper all the way and I want to assure you it will happen in the end, but there are going to be some confused emotions along the way, obstacles and lots of angst...just lots of it so prepare yourself, because as I mention in the synopsis, Robin is going to encounter some competition. Again I feel as though I might be writing Henry a little differently than he is on the show but I'm feeling it so I'm just gonna continue down this path. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this next part! Have a wonderful Sunday evening and may Monday treat you kindly :)  
**

**Disclaimer: Still not the owner of anything. Not even part owner. Dang. **

**Chapter 4**

Henry ran up to the door and grabbed the ornate golden knob, and found it locked firmly in place. He began pounding on the entryway with both of his fists and all of his strength, "Mom! Mom I know you're in there. Please open the door. Please."

"Regina, please. We just want to make sure you're okay, and then we'll leave if you want us to," Snow chimed in along with Henry as she walked up the steps behind him.

Tink was the last one to saunter up the steps knowing that, that door was not going to open for them, "It's no use folks, Regina has put a curse on this house and it's locked down like Fort Knox. We're not getting in there and she's not coming out until she's good and ready."

Henry put his head against the door and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere, not this time mom."

"Hey is Regina in there?" everyone whirled around surprised to hear the voice of the woman that had unknowingly set this catastrophe in motion.

"Emma do you really think it's a good idea for you to be here?" Tinkerbell asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I, ya know, just wanted to make sure she didn't do anything…destructive," Emma said sheepishly as she rolled up her window and shut the door to her bright yellow Buggie making her way to the bottom of the steps on Regina's porch.

"Would you please stop it," Henry exclaimed as he spun around to face his biological mother, "She saved this town and everyone it from Zelena with light magic, she saved me back in Neverland, she gave you and I false memories, where she took herself out of the equation to keep us safe…what more does she have to do, to make you believe she has changed? That she is a hero like all of you now," Henry asked frustratedly and without stopping to take a breath.

Emma looked at her son dumbfounded as he had never spoken to her like that before, "I…I'm sorry Henry you're right. It's just Regina and I have never really seen eye to eye and I was afraid she might fall back into her old ways. I mean, did you see the look in her eyes back at Granny's?"

"Yeah well maybe we should reserve our judgment until she comes out of this house. Regina hasn't been perfect and trust me I can attest to that, but she deserves a chance to prove herself before we convict her of a crime she hasn't even committed yet," Tink added crossing her arms over her chest backing up Henry.

Emma nodded in acknowledgement feeling scolded by Tinkerbell, "So, I don't suppose you think she's coming out of there anytime soon?"

Snow looked at her daughter, "No it appears not. She's put some kind of latch and lock curse on the house and there's no way in. We're just going to have to wait."

"Well I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay right here until she decides to open that door," Henry said forcefully.

"Oh come on kid, you can't stay out here. She might not come out for days or weeks even," Emma said with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"Well I'm not leaving until she does. When she opens that door I want to be here. I'm not going to abandon her this time," Henry said sounding much older than his 14 years.

"No way, absolutely not. You're coming home with me and that is final. I'm your Mother and you'll do as I say."

"Well Regina is my Mother too and she needs me now, and you can make me go home with you, but I'll just sneak out and be right back here when your back is turned," he said willfully.

"Listen Emma I'll stay with him. It will be fine. Henry is right. Someone should be here when Regina decides to come out," Tinkerbell said putting her hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Let him stay Emma, Tink will take care of him. You and I can come by here anytime we want and check up on them. Honestly, if it weren't for baby Neal I'd stay here too," Snow said with concern in her voice.

"But what about food and where will you sleep?" Emma asked her voice becoming a bit shrill.

"Don't worry I'll talk to Granny I'm sure she wouldn't mind to keep these two fed; and I'm sure David and I have enough pillows and blankets at our house you could probably sleep pretty comfortably on some of these benches on Regina's porch," Snow said trying to calm her daughter's nerves.

"Well what if rains?" Emma questioned, pulling the last trick she had out of her sleeve.

"I don't know Mom…we'll put tarps up over the porch, or use a tent or something, but the point is I'm not leaving. I'm sorry Mom, but I have to stay. I have to," Henry spoke resolutely.

"Fine. You win. Let Operation Stakeout Regina begin," Emma sighed throwing both her hands up in the air.

Suddenly there was a rumble in the distance causing all four of them to turn their heads towards the sky. The calm nighttime clouds were turning from a pristine white to a darker more ominous color before their eyes and they began to swirl and churn fiercely. The brightness of the moon went into hiding and was no longer visible while a dark shadow crept over Storybrooke. Abruptly, a bolt of lightning fell to the Earth lighting up the whole of the night sky revealing a purple tint to the tempest that was taking form. At that moment it was as if the lightning bolt tore a gaping hole in the heavens because a torrential downpour began to fall causing Emma to run and join the rest of them under Regina's covered porch.

"Wait a minute I thought the weatherman said it was supposed to be sunny all day today," Emma exclaimed moving her wet hair from her face.

"It was. This is not normal weather. This is atmosphere Regina," Tink explained keeping her eyes locked on the event taking place above them.

"I knew it. I told you she was going to do something destructive. We have to figure out a way to get in that house and stop her," Emma said as she began to walk towards the front door of the house.

"No wait Emma," Snow said grabbing her daughter's wrist stopping her in her tracks, "This isn't destruction, this is heartbreak. Regina is magic and sometimes when those with magic feel something strongly enough it manifests itself in other ways. Trust me, if Regina wanted to be destructive this would be more like a hurricane or an earthquake. We just need to let this run its course and it will be okay. She's working through some grief right now," Snow said feeling empathy for the woman locked in the giant white mansion.

Emma looked doubtfully back at her mother, but she also knew Snow White had more experience with Regina than anyone else. She nodded her head accepting her mother's statement and turned her blue eyes back up towards the lavender sky engaged in a violent dance above them.

"Well Henry it looks like we're gonna need those tarps after all," Tink said as she kept her eyes on the sheets of rain that were falling down on Storybrooke.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wooooow! I can't believe this many people favorited and/or followed this story, it tugs at my heartstrings. As always thank you all for your words of kindness and the feedback you've given in the reviews. It's so awesome and you guys are the best :D This is the last chapter I will write describing where people's heads are, I promise. Next chapter, we're gonna get Regina out of that house and let the real story that I've had planned unfold, but I wanted to be sure to lay a solid foundation here. Happy reading and I hope you are all having a great week!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm still poor. **

**Chapter 5**

Robin knew he should have walked straight back to the diner, but instead he found himself wandering aimlessly down the vacant side streets of Storybrooke. His feet felt like lead, but his heart felt even heavier. He knew he should be happy, he should be elated that Marian was back and yet all he could think about was Regina, and the fact that he had wounded her. It was tearing him asunder, and a part of him wished he had defied everyone's wishes and went along with them to find her. Her son's words rang in his ears though, "you don't deserve her", and he thought to himself maybe he didn't.

This very evening she had finally given him all of herself. She had finally granted him unrestricted passage through the granite like barrier that she kept around her heart. In that moment she had been the most stunning woman he had ever seen. And he didn't just mean her physical beauty, which was obvious. Regina turned heads wherever she went, but her inner beauty, her gorgeous spirit, and her delicate soul. What he saw when he finally got completely past her walls couldn't ever adequately be described by any words he could come up with, and for the life of him he could not understand why she would ever hide behind her self-imposed razor like barricade. The world was missing out because Regina Mills was absolutely exquisite. He felt a twinge of guilt because he knew at no point in his marriage had Marian ever held a candle to what he had seen this evening in Regina.

But in his moment of utter disbelief at seeing Marian he had gotten tunnel vision, and could see nothing else but the woman he had married all those years ago. While most people thought Regina was made of all sharp edges and cold steel but he knew differently. He had seen through her from the very start. She was crying out for someone to just take the time to understand her, and so he accepted her challenge. And that is what she had been in the beginning, a challenge, but he couldn't lie he admired her spunk. She didn't make it easy on him, and in the end it had been more than well worth all the trouble.

Everything he had worked for was ruined though and it was all his fault. In that short period of time, in which he was lost in a world from 30 years ago, he might as well have just stabbed her in her unguarded heart and then twisted the knife. Her son's words rang in his ears again, haunting him, "you don't deserve her". Henry was right he should have simply looked her way to let her know that he knew she was still there, he should have gone to her if only for a brief moment, but he hadn't. He had left her to stand there watching it all play out…alone.

Suddenly, Robin heard a low roll of thunder and when he glanced up towards the sky he saw that the once starlit celestial dome was being blanketed by clouds with a distinct violet hue. The wind started to pick up and it seemed to swirl around and envelope him. A brilliant glowing bolt of lightning broke free of the cloud's grasp above him and set his surroundings alight, and then the rain started. The hardest rain he may have ever been witness to in all his years. He ran quickly to shelter himself under the nearest overhang of one of the many small shops that lined the street and watched as the storm began to rage. He couldn't explain it but it was as if this storm had feelings. He had experienced his fair share of inclement weather up close and personal having lived outdoors most of his life, but this storm seemed to speak to him. As he watched the lightning continue to light up the amethyst clouds above him he thought to himself that this storm was beautiful and graceful while at the same time being violent and foreboding. He realized it was the perfect description of the woman who he couldn't seem to get off his mind.

His train of thought was broken as a pair of bright headlights were coming towards him and he put his hands up to shield his eyes. As the yellow compact vehicle got close to him it came to a stop and the driver ever so slightly cracked the window yelling, "You look like you could use a ride! Hop in!"

As he ran around the vehicle and jumped in he could have sworn when the wind hit him it even smelled like Regina, but he was probably just imagining things as it seemed nothing didn't remind him of her in some way.

"Thank you, milady," Robin exclaimed as he buckled himself in the front passenger seat. He paused before asking, "Did you see her?" His voice sounding tormented.

Emma turned towards Robin with a look of apprehension and brought the car to halt at the traffic light before them, "No, not exactly. It seems Regina has gone into full lockdown inside of her house, and I don't think she plans on coming out for a while. You and I should probably talk about this storm though before we get back to Granny's."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry everyone for the long wait between updates, but life just got really busy. This was actually not a chapter I intended to write, but I decided to write a bit about how I think this whole Regina and Marian thing should have gone down. So basically I took some creative liberties in contrast to what the show's writers say happened. Anyway I hope you all enjoy my take and as always I appreciate your reads, reviews, favorites and follows. Also if any of you want to interact on a more personal and regular basis with me I have a Twitter account and I don't have nearly enough Oncers to talk to, and frankly I think that's a tragedy. Feel free to shoot me a follow Andii_Renee or you can PM your handle and I'll follow you! Tomorrow is TGIF now that's something I think we can all get behind!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**

**Chapter 6**

Emma pulled her car into a vacant parking lot and turned off the engine as the rain pelted her front windshield.

Robin turned towards her expectantly, "What is it you wanted to tell me about this storm?"

"Well this is not your garden variety storm. This is….Storm Regina," Emma said.

Robin's look turned quizzical and before he could ask what she meant Emma continued on with her explanation, "Apparently Regina is going through some….something, and because she is magic this storm is basically a…a materialization of that of her…emotions."

Robin looked straight ahead watching the sheets of rain fall down in front of him and laughed to himself before muttering, "I knew it."

"You knew what?" Emma asked bewildered by his reaction to her explanation.

"Nothing, well I mean it just seemed like her is all. It's like I could feel her," he said hanging his head knowing that a storm could only mean Regina was in pain, and it was pain he had caused her. Robin put his hands over his face and stayed that way for quite some time before looking back up to Emma, "M'lady what happened back there in the forest? What made you bring Marian back here?"

Emma wasn't sure how to answer. She knew she had almost certainly irreversibly ruined Regina's chance at happiness with this man, but this would be the final nail in the coffin. She tried to think of a way out of answering the question, but supposed if he didn't find out from her he would most definitely find out from Marian, "Well I uhh, well Killian and I ran into Marian while she was being held captive…by Regina when she was the Evil Queen. She was going to execute her for helping Snow White and…and I just couldn't leave her there. I couldn't. I had to save her," Emma said stuttering not sure how Robin would react to the news.

Robin's face screwed up as he considered what she had said, "But that's impossible. Regina did not kill Marian," he paused looking up to the woman who was known as the Savior, "she let her go."

_**Flashback to the Enchanted Forest**_

Marian found herself with a burlap sack over her head and being led roughly down a stairwell by two burly guards. She tried resisting but it was of no use the more she struggled the tighter they painfully clamped down on her upper arms.

"Looks like we've got a bit of fighter here," one of the men pointed out as he wrestled to get her under control.

"Yeah I bet she won't be as apt to put up a fight once the Evil Queen is done with her," said the other gruffly.

They came to a sudden halt and she heard the shrill screech of an iron door being opened. The bag that had served as the cover for her eyes was flung from her head, and the dank smell of the underground corridor invaded her nose. Her eyes began to adjust to the narrow tunnel that was dimly lit by torches, and she could tell she was in some kind of dungeon.

Without warning she was shoved harshly into the cell that was to be hers. The force of the push was so powerful, it caused her to lose her footing and she fell towards the cold hard dirt floor. The side of her face hit the solid ground with such violence she thought she might pass out. As she lifted her head the world was wobbling and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Marian began to attempt to push herself up with her hands but before she could, one of the guards knotted his hand in her curly chestnut hair yanking her up into a standing position by it.

He placed his face flush with hers and flecks of spittle hit her face as he spoke to her, "If you know what's good for you little lady, you'll tell the Queen what she wants to know or this mouthful of blood will seem like nothing more than child's play."

* * *

It felt like she had been sitting alone in the dark for ages. She couldn't tell how much time had passed, maybe it had been only days, but truthfully it felt more like months. She could barely remember what it felt like to have the sun caress her skin, to breathe the fresh air of the forest into her lungs. The only human contact she had was when the guards came and slung a bowl of green slop to her through the cutout in her cell door, and to make sure she was still alive. In the beginning she had refused to eat the sludge they served her, but her hunger had become so intense that she now looked forward to the bowl of mystery goulash. In her darkest moments when she wasn't sure she would make it out of this alive her mind would wander to her husband Robin and her infant son Roland and it would give her the will she needed to go on.

She was thinking of them when she suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the hall of dungeon cells. As the footsteps grew closer she could also hear voices, but this time there was a new voice, one she had never heard before. It was the voice of a woman, and she knew that could only mean one thing, that the Evil Queen had finally decided to pay her a visit. Marian could finally make out the silhouettes of three individuals walking towards her holding. The Evil Queen was in the middle flanked by two of her Queen's Guard. As their faces came into full view Marian found herself retreating into the farthest darkest corner of her cell practically trying to melt into the cobblestone wall at her back.

"There's no use in trying to hide. You couldn't run far enough away from me where I couldn't find you. Tell me…do you know who I am?" the woman asked with a sinister smile as she stopped just short of the iron bars that housed Marian.

"You're the Evil Queen," Marian spoke up trying to steady her voice, but she slightly faltered when she stared up at the woman standing before her. Everything about her was ominous. She was wearing a solid raven black form fitting dress. Her sleeves were long and extended all the way down to her wrists, and her hands were even covered by sable velvet gloves. Her long jet black hair was pulled up on top while the rest of her long dark tresses cascaded down her shoulders and back. Her skin in stark contrast to her dark appearance was porcelain white and her lips were blood red. However, the feature that stood out the most to Marian, were her eyes. Her eyes were so dark they looked like the blackest onyx. When she finally worked up enough courage to meet the Queen's gaze directly she could feel all the hatred and cruelty that this woman was harboring within her, and yet there was something more. Underneath all of the malevolence she could sense there was a profound sadness. Marian couldn't know what, but she could only guess that this woman had lost much if not everything. Marian wondered to herself what had it been that had driven this woman to become so empty.

"Are you going to kill me?" Marian asked as she summoned all her courage and stepped out of the shadows towards the bars that separated herself from the sinister woman standing on the other side of them.

"Well that all depends on you," Regina said tilting her head as she kept her nefarious gaze on Marian, "If you tell me what I want to know, I'll consider letting you go. If you don't I'll most certainly make sure you suffer greatly."

"How do I know you won't kill me anyway?" Marian asked hoping for some reassurance.

Regina took a step forward and wrapped her black gloved fingers around the bars of Marian's cell, "You don't, but I can guarantee you if you withhold the whereabouts of Snow White from me I will make sure your death is slow and extraordinarily painful. Is it really worth pressing your luck?" she said practically baring her teeth.

"So this is what this is about…Snow White?" Marian had heard the tales of the feud between the Queen and Snow White but she had no clue about the events that spurred it.

Marian and her husband Robin were embroiled in their own feud of sorts with the Sheriff of Nottingham leaving her little time to concern herself with the quarrel between Snow White and the Evil Queen. In fact, she wouldn't have known either had she come face to face with them. Little did she know her decision to help a young road weary woman would put her in the position she was in now, and Marian's mind drifted to that fateful decision.

While out on one of her walks in the forest to gather herbs and berries she had come across a young woman sleeping soundly against a tree. She looked disheveled and was covered in a multitude of scrapes and bruises. When Marian awoke her to make sure she was okay, the lady traveler became startled and leapt up with speed that she had never seen, brandishing a silver dagger at her. Marian tried to calm her and insisted that she come back to camp where she and her comrades would feed her and tend to her wounds. She could then be on her way. Suddenly the fight left the eyes of the other woman and she dropped her dagger to her side and agreed to Marian's terms. Marian could tell that this woman was completely depleted of energy and so she draped her arm around her for support as they made their way back to camp. During her stay Marian had asked the young adventurer her name and how she came to be sleeping against that tree, but she had refused to divulge any information saying only "that if she knew who she was it would only cause her trouble". Marian knew pushing her would do no good, and so she left it alone.

The next morning the young lady thanked them profusely for their kindness and went on her way. Marian never thought anything of it, until now. That same day she was once again out in the woodlands gathering resources when something solid hit the back of her head. She was then roughly gathered and draped over the back of a horse where a bag was placed over her head, and then the world went black. Although the woman had never given her name, Marian was quite sure at this point that the woman she had tended to had been Snow White, and now she was going to pay for it.

She met the gaze of the Evil Queen and continued, "Well I'm afraid you've captured the wrong person as I have no idea about where she may be," with that Marian began stepping backwards as she could sense the rage in the Evil Queen coming to a boiling point.

Regina abruptly thrust her hands through the rigid iron bars of the cell and suddenly Marian could feel herself being pulled against her will. In an instant she found herself in the firm grasp of black gloved hands and face to face with the murderous glare of the Evil Queen, "You lying…little…bitch. My scout told me that he saw her coming from your camp. Tell me where she is NOW!" Regina hissed at her as she tightened her grip around Marian's collar causing her air to be cut off.

"I'm telling you the truth," Marian sputtered gasping for breath, "Yes, I allowed her to come back with me to our camp, but I didn't know who she was. I swear I didn't. Please, I'm telling you the truth."

Regina pulled her so close she was almost nose to nose with Marian, "As if, if you had known you wouldn't have tried to hide her from me," with that Regina loosened her grip and let Marian stumble backwards barely keeping her balance. "You are of no use to me," Regina turned to the guards that had accompanied her, "Execute her in the morning, and make sure you draw a crowd," she said with a sinister smile, "Make sure people know what happens to those who help Snow White."

"Yes, your majesty," the guards replied in perfect unison.

With that Regina turned around to walk back above ground and the pleas of the woman behind her began, "Please, please you can't I have a husband," Regina continued to walk with no intention of turning around for any reason, but the next statement out of the woman's mouth was the chink in her armor, "I have an infant son, please I'm begging you, please."

Regina stopped dead in her tracks and without turning around she spoke very quietly, "You have a son?"

"Yes, he is barely 5 months old and he needs me, please, please I will do anything to get back to him. Please don't take a mother from her son, please," Marian pleaded to the woman that had just sentenced her to a public death.

As Marian watched the Queen slowly turn around she was frightened of what she might see, but what she saw surprised her. For the briefest of moments, the pure venom that seemed to fuel the Queen was gone and what was left was the despair that hid underneath her razor sharp defenses. But as soon it was there it was gone and almost as if realizing she had allowed herself to be vulnerable her eyes glossed over and she once again became the Evil Queen.

Regina turned to face her guards and spoke firmly pointing towards the exit, "Leave us now."

Without question the guards turned and left, never looking back. Marian knew this was it, and that the Queen had decided to take care of executing her, herself but again she would be surprised.

Without moving Regina waved her hand and the door to Marian's small cage opened. Marian's eyes grew wide with fear and it's as if her feet were cemented to the floor beneath her. Again not speaking a word Regina extended her arms and Marian began to be pulled forward until Regina had hold of her arm. Never speaking to Marian she began to escort her down the narrow passageway and up the stairwell.

"If you're going to kill me why not just do it now," Marian said surprised by the calmness in her voice.

Regina continued to look straight ahead and remained silent as she continued to lead Marian up the stairway with her strength above ground. Finally, they found themselves standing in a marvelous courtyard adorned by an elegant water fountain and areas of perfectly kept rose gardens. This night it was particularly beautiful as it was well lit by the light spilling from the full moon overhead. The sight of the outdoors and the fresh air hitting her face felt so good Marian thought she might cry. However, her peaceful reflection was broken as she was yanked roughly forward by the Evil Queen.

The women continued to walk together at a steady pace, Regina remaining silent and somber, and Marian remaining unusually calm not fighting her decided fate. Whatever the Queen had decided would play out whether she liked it or not. Marian realized soon enough that they were leaving the confines of the royal castle and were walking towards the wooded lands that surrounded it.

As they reached the edge of the forest Marian felt the Evil Queen release her arm. Marian had not expected to be so gently let go of and she turned her gaze towards the Queen in astonishment.

Finally Regina spoke softly but firmly, "You need to run. You need to run fast and you need to run far before I change my mind. I better never see you again or I promise you I will carry through with what I had originally planned for you. And make sure your little ragtag band knows the consequences for helping Snow White," Regina paused for a brief moment before asking, "Have I made myself clear?"

Marian found herself in a total state of shock. Could it truly be, that she was being freed by this woman? Surely this was a cruel joke and the moment she turned her back to run she would be struck dead by some kind of dark magic, but again she could sense something in the Queen fighting to come to the surface. Perhaps it was compassion, perhaps it was the last glimmer of humanity that might be left in her. Whatever it was she knew it was the same thing she had seen in the Queen's eyes when she had mentioned her infant son Roland.

Marian didn't have time to contemplate long though as the Queen again implored again with a tone of annoyance, "Have I made myself clear?"

Marian looked up and simply said, "Yes m'lady."

The eyes of Queen moved from Marian and looked towards the forest, "Go."

With that Marian swiftly turned around and took flight into the familiar woods. She was prepared at any moment to be blasted by some kind of sorcery, but when she wasn't she slowed and even found the courage to turn around. She could see that the Evil Queen had not moved from where she was standing, and she couldn't be sure but she thought she could see the glimmer of a single tear reflected by the moonlight running down her cheek.

_**Present Day**_

"That can't be. I saw Regina and she was on the warpath parading Marian around like a prop. And another thing, you mean to tell me you knew Regina held her prisoner and never brought it up," Emma said incredulous, "Well if Regina didn't kill Marian…then who?"

Robin looked earnestly at Emma, "Of course I knew she had taken her, but what value is there in drudging up something like that just to hurt her. She's not the same woman she was back in that land. She was trying to make up for her wrongs. And if you must know the Sheriff of Nottingham killed Marian. He captured her and he executed her," his eyes became full of sadness, "I was careless and let her get taken right under my nose."

"Oh no. What have I done?" Emma asked to no one in particular.

Robin placed a hand of comfort upon her shoulder, "You've nothing to be sorry for m'lady. You saved the mother of a young child and the wife of a guilt stricken man," even as he said it though he knew he wasn't as joyful as he should be. He continued with a bit of a sigh, "We better get a move on, this rain doesn't appear to be letting up."

On the drive back to the diner Robin became lost in his conflicted thoughts. Marian was back. His sweet Marian. He had loved her more than his own life, and he had been devastated when she had died. If it hadn't been for Roland he wasn't even sure he would have made it through that time.

That had been a long time ago though. Robin had grieved for years and years and finally he found the strength to let go of Marian's ghost and the guilt that filled him. He had changed and become a different man than the man that had married Marian all those years ago. Then he had met Regina and she made him feel things he hadn't felt in so long, and even emotions he had never experienced with Marian. He couldn't remember feeling a bond stronger than the one he felt when he was with her.

However, Robin was also a man of honor, and he had pledged to love and protect his lady wife until death do us part, and here she was very much alive. Marian was innocent in all of this. Robin felt sick to his stomach but even as conflicted as he was he came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to honor his vows. His heart was heavy with the knowledge that he would just be another on the long list of people that had let Regina down.

Finally, the diner came into view and he could see Marian and Roland through the windows exactly where he had left them. His family back together again, and yet his heart felt only half in it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: I'm back! Sorry folks for the delay in the latest installment. I went on a little vacation to Florida and I thought I would have time to write there…but I was wrong…whoopsie. As always I want to say thank you so much for all your reads, faves, reviews, and follows it gets me all revved up to write more and I truly appreciate it. Also please forgive my spelling, punctuation, and just writing errors in general. I read these a thousand times before I post them and I still manage to miss something. Also there will definitely be Regina and Robin interaction in the next chapter, and we may even see Will. I'll just have to see where the story leads me. Anyway, I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! As always enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of Storybrooke. I'm just having a bit of fun with them.

**Chapter 7**

It took five days, five days for Regina to pull herself together enough to face the outside world once more. For the first three days she allowed herself to feel the full force of the emotions that had been brought on by the loss of Robin. She allowed all of the sadness and fury to wash over her, and for three days the tempest outside her window had raged. For three days Regina remained curled up in a fetal position on her bed. She had cried practically non-stop, she had screamed in anguish, and she had tried to sleep her pain away, but it was of no use; her sleep was haunted by nightmares of losing Robin over and over again. More times than she could count she found herself frightened awake sitting upright and breathing heavily, having to remind herself that she was in her own bedroom. However, by the end of the third day, eluding sleep was physiologically no longer an option and her body forced itself into a dream-filled state.

Regina awoke on the morning of the fourth day since Marian's return. Her slumber had not been the fulfilling kind. She was groggy and her eyes were heavy but she willed herself up and walked towards her bedroom window that looked out into her backyard. Outside the storm had calmed to a light dreary drizzle and the clouds had lost their menacing purple hue and were replaced by thick dark grey blanket of gloom. Regina stood there at the window looking out for some time trying to rub the exhaustion out of her eyes that were puffy and red from crying. With a sigh she decided she would head downstairs and try and eat something for the first time since she had locked herself upstairs. Turning from the window she grabbed the violet cashmere robe that was hanging on her bedpost and threw it on before trudging down the stairs. When she finally reached the bottom steps she let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the first story and she could see the floor was littered with broken items. She was suddenly reminded of the outburst she had, had several evenings earlier, and even though she knew it had been mere days ago for some reason it felt like an eternity had passed.

Slowly and deliberately she moved to each area of destruction and with a wave of her hand she repaired all the damage she had inflicted upon her own belongings. She saved the dining room for last, mending her shattered dishes and placing them on the countertop so she could first drape the table cloth in position. She couldn't explain why, but for some reason instead of using her magic she decided to pick up the tablecloth off the floor on her own. It was as if she was being drawn towards it, like an invisible force pulled her forward, and when she placed her hands on it she could feel that something hard was wrapped within it. Carefully unfolding the table cloth she placed her hand over her mouth when she saw what had been encased inside the piece of linen.

When Robin had arrived on her doorstep the final evening they had been together before Marian had returned, the evening she had finally believed she could admit she was in love with him he had arrived on her doorstep holding a beautiful bouquet of roses housed within a handmade glass blown vase streaked in shades of bold violet and crimson. And somehow despite all the things she had broken in her tirade the gift from Robin had been left unmarred cushioned from impact by the tablecloth that somehow got wrapped around it.

The bouquet itself was made up of a random assortment of pure white and soft pink roses on the outside rim of the arrangement while on the inside, magnificent red roses had been placed in the shape of a heart. Still sitting within the roses was an envelope that remained unopened. The envelope enclosed a letter that Robin had written to her. He had told her he wanted her to read it but it could wait until later as he had been waiting all day to see her and with that he gently took her face in his hands and brushed his lips up against hers. She realized with all that had been going on and how wrapped up she and Robin had been in each other she had never actually gotten the chance to read what it said. With trembling hands she gently pried open the envelope and removed the two pieces of parchment that had been enclosed within. She smiled weakly to herself as she saw they were both handwritten. Leave it to Robin in a world of computers and technology to write something by hand and make it that much more personal. It was one of the things she had come to love about the thief though. Taking a deep breath she began to read the first page of the letter.

_Regina when we first met you shared a letter with me. A letter that you said had given you comfort and solace in your moments of darkness, in your moments of need. I could see you were saddened to learn that the letter had actually been speaking of Zelena and not you. So I came up with an idea, and I have written you a new letter. A letter that is meant for you and you alone, have no doubt. I hope you find it to your liking m'lady._

Regina had believed she had no more tears to cry and yet here she stood with her eyes swimming from the thoughtfulness of the composition. She had forgotten about that moment they shared in the forest, when for some reason she had allowed him to inch across her barrier and shared the letter that she had kept for so many years. He had remembered it though, had recognized the sadness in her demeanor and as always was doing what he always did, trying to mend her tattered heart. She let out an audible sob and considered not even reading the letter since it was a moot point now that he had chosen Marian, but her curiosity won and she began to read the second page.

_My Dearest Regina_

_You are stunning to me in every way; a bold and audacious masterpiece. You are a brilliant light that has illuminated my world. I thought my heart was whole. I thought I was fulfilled, but after being with you I know I was living only as half a man. _

_I want you to know that you amaze me every day with your beautiful heart that loves so deeply, and your radiant spirit that you always will to fight on no matter how dark it gets. My breath has been taken away since the moment I laid eyes on you. When you walk into a room you're the only person I see and when you're not around all my thoughts are filled with you. You are strikingly beautiful, fiercely independent, secretly vulnerable, immensely courageous, you are strength and grace, and at times you are extremely complicated and terribly frustrating, but you know I wouldn't have it any other way because all those things are you. I know you worry that the mistakes of your past and your flaws are too much to overcome, but to me your past is just that, your past, and your flaws are what make you absolutely perfect in my eyes._

_When you smile at me I melt, and the sound of your laugh is the most beautiful music my ears have ever had the pleasure of hearing. When your beautiful dark brown eyes meet mine my world stands still, and I know I never want you to look at another man the way I feel you look back at me. A simple touch of your hand sets me ablaze. When my arms are around you I find myself never wanting to let you go, and when I kiss you I know I've never felt more at peace. I'm certain our souls were meant to find one another._

_My lovely Queen if you don't know it by now I must tell you that I have fallen hopelessly in love with you…all of you. I know you are of royal blood and I am but a simple thief but if you would do me the honor I want to be the man that makes you happy for the rest of your days. I want to be the man that takes care of you, protects you. I want to be the man that you give your love and heart away to. I want to be your beginning and end. Regina, I want to be the one to light the fire in your eyes and the one who makes all your dreams come true._

_My love, if you ever find yourself doubting your worth, or whenever you seek comfort or solace from this moment on I hope you read this letter and know that you deserve to be, and are loved with everything I have. If for any reason we are ever parted I want you to read this letter and know that every word is true and that no matter what I will find my way back to you, always. You will never be alone again. My world is yours, my heart is yours Regina from this day forward until forever._

_Love Always,_

_Your Thief, Your Robin_

Regina's tears had been trickling on the letter throughout the reading and when she finished she angled her head upwards and closed her eyes willing herself to pull it together. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever read, that anyone had ever said about her for that matter, and now it was gone. The second to last sentence was supposed to be one of hope, but at this point it seemed like a cruel joke. The last obstacle either of them ever thought they would have to deal with was the appearance of his late wife and first love.

Regina knew she was just torturing herself and she knew it had to stop. She had to start the process of moving on and the first step was to remove Robin from her heart and from her home. With that she picked up the vase and flowers and walked over to the trash can dropping them where they dropped with a thud. She stood there for a moment with the tear stained letter in her hand looking down at the beautiful words that had been written about her, and her hand seemed to refuse to release its grip. Even though he had chosen his wife, even though he was no longer hers, for a brief moment he had thought all these wonderful things about her and it made her heart swell with love for him. For the first time in her life someone hadn't given up on her, hadn't used her to their own end, and had no ulterior motives. He had only wanted to know her, to love her, just because.

"You can't do this, you can't do this, you can't do this," Regina whispered to herself with her eyes closed, "He chose his wife, his first love, his first chance and you _have_ to move on…it's over." Regina's eyes suddenly opened as if those last two words brought her to some kind of final realization. Her hand formed a tight fist crumpling the letter and she dropped it in the trash watching as it fell to the bottom.

Regina moved into the kitchen and managed to eat a couple slices of bland toast even though she wasn't that hungry, and washed it down with a glass of water. She then made her way back up the stairs to her room and decided that tomorrow morning she was going to face the day and whatever it had to bring. She rummaged through her closet and picked out a royal blue dress and shoes to match. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth before she laid back to down to rest up for the following day and was taken aback by her own reflection. Mascara streaked her cheeks visible proof of her heartbreak. Her hair was in tangles and her eyes were swollen and red, partly from lack of sleep and partly from the constant stream of tears that had fallen from them over the past week.

A shower was definitely in order and when the warm water began to wash over her in a small sense it lifted her mood. After she was done she dried off and put her robe on. She knew it was early still but she picked out a comfortable pair of night clothes and grabbed a book to read while she laid in bed and tried to find peaceful slumber.

There was still a light drizzle outside and the sound was very soothing as it pelted the window in her room. Before she knew it her eyes were closed and for the first time in four days she got a decent night of uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

Regina awoke on the fifth day, not at 100% but feeling well enough to emerge from the mansion she had barricaded herself in. After taking another shower she proceeded to step through her normal routine. She removed her robe and replaced it with the cobalt dress and matching pumps she had picked out the previous evening. She then moved in front of her bathroom mirror and put on a minimal amount of makeup and picked out her favorite pair of blue rose shaped earrings and clasped a simple but elegant necklace around her neck. Her final acts were to brush her teeth, and fix her hair. Today she decided to change it up a bit and instead of wearing it down in her normal style she pinned her dark tresses up away from her face leaving only a small piece of her bangs in the front hanging loose. Facing the mirror once again she placed her hands on either side of the sink and stared at her own reflection and began to give herself a final pep-talk before she attempted to confront Storybrooke and more importantly some of the people living within it.

"You can do this. You've got Henry to think about. You've been in this position before and managed just fine. Just walk out that door and hold your head up." With that she ambled out of her bathroom and stopped by the window to look outside once more. Through patches of clouds there were hints of blue and warm sunshine peeking out and the birds were singing their songs for the first time in days. Regina made her way downstairs into the kitchen to prepare a cup coffee to drink before she removed the curse and faced the world outside her home when she noticed a balled up wad of paper sitting atop the rest of the garbage.

Regina's eyebrows drew together in a puzzled look, "That's strange," she mumbled to herself knowing that she had seen the crumpled up piece of paper fall to the bottom of the garbage can last night. She kept herself rooted in place for a time, but it was if not of her own will her legs began to move bringing her towards the waste bin. Upon reaching her destination she continued to peer down at the scrunched up piece of paper. With shaking hands once again she reached out and picked up the piece of parchment uncrinkling it. Yet again her eyes were lavished by the beautiful words that Robin had meant for her. She knew she should have immediately thrown it back in the garbage; it was pure agony to read it and know that none of it mattered. But instead she placed the handwritten note on her table and decided she would determine what to do with it after she got this day over with.

After the mysterious appearance of the note Regina decided she no longer wanted coffee and made her way to the front door. With a flick of her wrist she removed the sealing curse she had placed upon the house locking it down, and with a deep breath and a moment of contemplation she gently turned the knob to open the entryway into her home. However, before she could even open the door all the way and step outside she found herself enveloped in a ferocious hug from the woman she had considered her arch nemesis for so many years

"Regina we have been so worried about you," Snow said as she hugged her as if they had never been enemies at all. As Snow pulled back Regina could see her blue eyes were glistening slightly, "We've been waiting for you to come out ever since the night at Granny's."

Regina looked perplexed, "We? Waiting? What do you mean?"

Snow smiled at Regina tugging on her hand as she pulled her outside. What she saw gave her the biggest shock. Tinkerbell and Henry were both covered up and soundly asleep outside on her porch benches. It was evident that they had been there for quite some time as there were expansive heavy duty tarps draped around the porch to protect them from the strong winds and the downpour that had fallen for the past week. On top of that there were several take out style Styrofoam food trays that were piled up next to each of them.

Regina put her hand up to her mouth and could barely get the words out, "You mean…you…you…Henry and Tinkerbell…were out here this entire time? I never…I never dreamed anyone would have stayed out here," Regina said her voice cracking. All this time she had thought she had been mourning in solitude and throughout the entire duration her beloved son and her friends had technically never left her side. She didn't know how she had gotten to this point or why in the world these people had decided to forgive her for her past transgressions against them, but she felt extremely lucky and even more determined to prove to everyone that they were wrong about who she really was.

"Well Henry and Tink set up camp here after we realized you put a curse on the house and weren't coming out," Snow paused for a moment before continuing, "He absolutely refused to leave you alone. He defied Emma to stay here, I've never seen him like that Regina. As for me I've been stopping by here every day hoping to be here when you came out. Looks like I have good timing," Snow whispered with a wide grin on her face not wanting to wake up her sleeping companions, "You should also know Henry gave Robin his marching orders after what happened at Granny's and we haven't seen him or Marian since," she said her face suddenly turning serious, "Regina I know there's nothing I can say to make this situation any better, but I'm so sorry for everything. You don't deserve this. It's not right for you to have to go through this again…because of me," and with that Regina found herself in another tight embrace.

Regina was not used to this type of treatment and outside of Henry and Robin she was not really affectionate with anyone, but surprisingly it felt good to have Snow White care about her. Awkwardly, Regina put her arms around Snow and quietly said, "Thank you Snow that means a lot to me. I'm sorry too. What I did to you all those years was unforgiveable and yet here you are making sure I'm okay when by all rights you should be gloating."

Once again Snow pulled back to look Regina in the face as she solemnly spoke, "I would never do that Regina. We have had our differences in the past, and maybe you didn't handle it in the best way, but deep down I have always understood how badly what I did hurt you. That person that you became when we were in the Enchanted Forest that wasn't you. The Evil Queen…that was a persona you created to keep yourself from getting hurt ever again. I cannot imagine what I would do if I lost David. Who's to say I wouldn't do the same thing," Snow said shrugging.

Regina let out a small giggle and raising one of her eyebrows, "Trust me Snow, you wouldn't do the same thing. You'd channel your pain into raising puppies or building a rainbow factory before you'd become cruel. You've just always been…good," Regina suddenly reached out her hand towards the petite brunette woman, "I think an official truce is long overdue. What do you say? I know it's a little late but maybe we can try and be friends...or at least friendly."

Regina should have known better than to think Snow would shake her hand and consider that enough because for the third time she found herself in a Snow White bear hug, "Oh Regina of course we can. I would love that. I would absolutely love that. As far as I'm concerned you're family."

Regina couldn't believe it but she was actually smiling at the thought of being friends with the Charmings.

* * *

Nobody back at the camp knew what he had truly been doing. He had used every excuse in the book, he needed to gather supplies, he needed to hunt or fish, he simply needed a walk, he wanted to observe the weather, he wanted to scout the creeks and rivers to make sure they weren't going to flood camp because of all the rain. Marian had always offered to go on these "excursions" with him but Robin had been insistent that she stay at camp and gather her strength and spend time with Roland. They would have all the time in the world to traipse about the forest when she was fully recovered.

What he was truly doing he didn't think she would approve of, because every single day since Regina's mad dash from Granny's Diner, Robin had dawned his forest green cloak and had gone to the edge of the timberline that surrounded Storybrooke finding a perfect spot of concealment among the branches of one of the trees. He stayed there for hours upon hours every day waiting and hoping he would be present when the woman he longed to see decided to come out of the grand mayoral mansion she had locked herself in because he had broken her heart. He had braved every bit of the intense weather with little protection eagerly awaiting the moment she would emerge. Every day she didn't come out he became more and more worried, worried that maybe she was hurt, worried that maybe he had caused her to do something rash.

Finally though, on the fifth day since Marian had returned he saw the door open and when she came out she looked even more stunning than he had remembered. Her ebony hair was pulled back showcasing her gorgeous face and her dark blue ensemble showcased her beautiful complexion and highlighted her mahogany brown eyes. He watched as a conversation ensued between Regina and Snow White and when he saw a smile on her face after receiving several hugs from Snow he smiled.

He was so glad to see that she was alright, it took everything he had not to jump down and run to her. To pull her against him, to kiss her, tell her that everything would be alright and beg her to never scare him like that again, but she was no longer his. He had let her go because of his duty as a husband to Marian. His duty to Marian, that's what he was referring to his marriage to her as now. He had loved Marian once, and he still loved her as the mother of his son, but the romantic love he had, had for her had faded. He had changed so much since her "death" and was no longer the same man he was all those years ago. The man he was now was in love with the woman he watched from a distance, he was over the moon for her, but none of it mattered anymore as he knew there was no turning back from the decision he had made. He knew that it took an immense amount of trust for Regina to let her guard down and there was little chance of him breaking through that barrier again. He had a feeling Regina was a chance he would only get once, and he had wrecked that chance with his disregard for her that evening five days ago.

His mind then wandered to the letter he had written to her the night that everything had changed. He had showed up with a bouquet of roses in the pattern of a heart. He knew it was cheesy, but he hoped it would put a smile on her already perfect face. Placed within the roses he had set an envelope with her name written in script, and it contained everything he had ever wanted her to know, to believe about herself.

He suddenly remembered he had requested that she read it later, a decision he now regretted, because later came and went and before the night had ended she had slipped through his fingers. She had never read the letter and he imagined she never would as she had probably thrown it away, wanting nothing to do with anything that might serve as a reminder of him, of them. She would never know the true depth of his feelings for her. She would never know that to him everything she was, was perfect. She would never know that he found her to be the most fascinating, and utterly breathtaking creature on the planet. She would never understand how desperately he wanted to be with her and how much it was killing him that he couldn't be.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: My apologies for the extended wait. Between work, nursing school, my sister getting stationed overseas, unexpected illnesses, and trying to start a new business venture I just haven't had much time to write. I hope no one is too mad at me. Thanks again everybody for all your support, reads, follows, faves and most of all patience! It means the world to me! Without further ado I give you the next chapter. As always ENJOY :-D**

**Chapter 8**

It was nighttime and Henry found himself standing alone in a wooded area surrounded by a light mist that filled the air. The trees were twisted and warped, their branches winding around each other blocking out most of the moonlight from above. As he listened he noticed there were no birds singing, no wind whispering through the leaves and branches, only a heavy eerie silence.

"What is this place?" he questioned as he spun around trying to gain some sense of where he was, but no matter how hard he looked this place just didn't seem familiar to him. As his eyes began to adjust to the darkness he noticed a very subtle serpentine path had been carved into the forest floor.

"Well here goes nothing," he muttered to himself as he began to follow the narrow avenue. As he walked he had to hold some of the gnarled branches back away from his face while he was able to safely duck under others. Henry had been following the meandering lane for quite some time when it came to an abrupt end leaving him standing before a towering moss covered wall made of old cobblestone. Cautiously approaching the wall Henry noticed that the sinister trees of the forest had been cleared back and the wall ran in either direction as far as he could see. At regular intervals intricate wooden columns had been constructed with old medieval style lanterns hanging from them casting a dim glow along the massive barrier.

As Henry continued his trek he ran his fingers along the soft moss and tried to recall how he found himself here. He knew he wasn't in the lush green forests surrounding Storybrooke, and while this forest did have a sinister undertone he was also able to rule out Neverland. He had considered the Enchanted Forest, but based upon the story books he had read and the tales that had been told to him by his family he knew the Enchanted Forest was a beautiful place where people lived and laughed. This place didn't seem to hold any happiness or joy. Instead of beauty it was bleak and instead of laughter there was only a deafening stillness.

Suddenly Henry came to a break in the solid wall and found himself standing in front of a wrought iron gate. On either side there were two winged gargoyles carved completely out of the blackest onyx, except for their eyes which were made of blood red rubies that glimmered making them look almost alive. As Henry reached his hand towards the gate he was surprised when before he could even touch it one side slowly swung open with a piercing creak.

"Hello, is anyone there?" he called out, but no answer came in reply. Summoning all his courage he willed his feet forward and stepped through the gate into what appeared to be some kind of garden. The garden unlike the forest was well kept, but like the forest the darkness within seemed to have seeped past the wall like an infection. The bushes were well manicured but covered in thorns and the red roses that would normally be a welcome sight were made to look menacing as they were intermingled with black roses.

As Henry rounded a sharp bend he came to a dead halt as he found himself standing directly behind a woman sitting upon a bench. She was wearing a deep crimson colored velvet dress with her long black hair cascading down her back. He could tell she was crying as she was hunched over with her face in her hands and her shoulders quivering. Henry very quietly tried to turn around so she would not hear him, but as if she had a sixth sense her head shot up, "Who's there?" she asked swinging her head around to face him.

When he found himself staring at the face of his mother Henry's face broke out into a huge grin. It felt like an eternity since he had seen her and her face was all he had wanted to see for the last five days, "Mom!?"

Regina's sad countenance changed in a second to one of complete contempt and Henry's moment of happiness was shattered by a single question, "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked in a tone of disgust.

"Mom…I've missed you," Henry paused and then asked confused as he began to walk towards her with his hand out stretched, "Mom are you okay?"

"Stay away from me!" Regina hissed as she quickly stood up, backing away from him, "Why would I want to see _you_? I always loved _you_…protected _you_…I only wanted the best for _you_. I would have done anything for _you_ and the first chance you got you turned your back on me," Regina giggled a bit maniacally before continuing, "My mother was right love is weakness Henry and I am done being weak. I am not your mother. I never was. Go be with your real mom and leave me alone," when her eyes met his they were devoid of any emotion, "I _never_ want to see you again."

"No Mom don't say that! Please I'm sorry. You're right…I never realized how much you loved me, but now I do. Please Mom…please I'm sorry. Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. Don't send me away," Henry begged his voice shaking.

Before he realized what was happening his mother rushed towards him and firmly grasped his shoulders shaking him, "I want you to wake up Henry! Henry, wake up! Wake up Henry!"

* * *

Henry's eyelids fluttered open to see his mother's face directly in front of his. Her eyes were filled with deep concern and her hands were placed upon his shoulders, "Henry, honey are you alright?"

At first he recoiled from her startled, recollecting his last interaction with her, but when he realized that he must have been dreaming he sprang up and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, "Mom!"

Regina pulled her son tight against her chest stroking his back, "You were having a nightmare sweetie, but everything is okay. I'm right here and I would never let anything happen to you."

Henry pulled back to look at her face, "Mom I just want to tell you I'm sorry for all the times I let you down. Please don't shut me out."

Regina took her son's hands in hers, "Honey, what are you talking about? Shut you out…I would never…could never, and what's this about you letting me down. You have never ever let me down. You're constantly teaching me to be better, and I'm so proud of you," Regina smiled reaching her hands up to touch her son's face wiping away his tears. In spite of her he was growing up to be such a nice young man, a good young man. She thought to herself it must be the Charming in him because it couldn't have come from her. While Regina had many regrets in her life, Henry was her one true shining moment. The one thing she knew for certain hadn't been a mistake, "I'm so sorry you stayed out here in that storm. I just never imagined anyone would wait out here. I just figured you would go stay with Emma. If I would have known you were out here I would have never…"

Henry cut her off short, "Mom stop. I would have waited for you as long as it took in any kind of weather," he paused as he looked into her eyes, "You know that I love you, right? I mean Emma is a part of my life, but she will never replace you."

With that Regina pulled his face towards her and placed her forehead against his closing her eyes, "Sweetie they haven't invented the words that could describe how much I love you. Now what do you think about you and I going to get a milkshake like we used to do on Sundays when you were little?"

"I'd like that," Henry said smiling from ear to ear.

With that Regina turned around coming face to face with two teary eyed women who had been watching the touching moment between mother and son play out. She walked towards them and took one of their hands in each of her's, "Tink thank you for staying out here with Henry and literally weathering the storm," then turning towards Snow she continued, "And Snow I just want to thank you again for understanding even after what we've been through. I know I don't deserve it."

Tinkerbell made a move and embraced her friend, "Don't even mention it," she finally released her tight grip on her friend and with a play punch on her arm said, "It's good to have you back bestie."

"Well I feel like I've seen enough of the inside of my house. How does ice cream sound to both of you?"

"Oh I really want to but I better get home to Neal and David," Snow placed her hand on Regina's shoulder, "but if you need anything at all Regina please let me know, and like Tink said…it's good to see you." Snow stepped off the porch turning back to wave one last time before she made her way back to her home.

"Well I'm always game for ice cream," Tinkerbell said as she smelled her shirt, "but I think I'm gonna need a long hot shower first."

Regina laughed, "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

Regina ran a comb through her damp hair as she began to ready herself for dinner tonight with Henry, Tink and the Charmings. It had been a month since she had emerged from her house and things had been going better than she could have imagined. In the first week since she had once again entered the "real world, Snow White, after much goading had convinced Regina to come to dinner at the Charming house and since then she had been going at least twice a week and sometimes more. Henry had been spending the night at her house much more often, in fact, she practically had to make him spend time with his other family members, but she wasn't complaining about finally having the relationship with her son that she had always longed for. And as always Tinkerbell had her back in all things. Regina often wondered how she found it so easy to forgive her after what she had put her through, but she was learning everyday what it meant to be a good person. Surprisingly even the other residents of Storybrooke seemed to interact with her on a much more friendly level than they had in the past.

The one relationship that could use work was the one between herself and Emma Swan. On the third occasion Regina had arrived for dinner at the Charmings she was surprised to see Emma sitting at the formal dining room table, and it seemed she was equally surprised as she immediately shot up out of her chair when Regina entered.

Little did either of them know Snow White had concocted a plan to get them in the same room together. "Listen, you two need to work out whatever is between you, and you're not leaving until you do." Before they could stop her Snow White broke into a sprint, shutting and locking the French doors to her formal dining room behind her.

"You knew about this?" Regina asked raised her eyebrows at Emma.

"No way. I didn't even know you were going to be here." Emma said as she jiggled the doorknob in vain.

Regina smirked as she lifted her hand which held red hot fire peering through the glass at Snow White, "You do know I could make pretty short work of this door Snow."

Snow cocked her head to the side with a mischievous grin, "But you won't."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Because Regina whether you like to admit it or not you're not that reckless person anymore, and friends don't destroy friends' homes with their magical fire. Now work it out." With that she spun around and went into her living room and out of sight obviously pleased with herself.

Regina dropped her hand and sighed as her bluff had been called looking at Emma, "Well Ms. Swan it seems you and I have some things to talk about."

So for the next couple of hours Regina Mills and Emma Swan were shut in a confined space together and everyone in House Charming knew it. Neither voice was quiet as accusations were leveled and heated words were exchanged, but the longer they were in there the quieter it became. In fact Snow peaked her head out to make sure that neither had rendered the other unconscious…or worse. In the end, both had to admit that on some narrow level a meeting of the minds was achieved and a fragile truce was established. Regina and Emma would probably never be best friends, or anything resembling friends at all for that matter, and they both knew that. Regina thought that Emma was a bit too selfish for her own good and Emma thought Regina was rash and unpredictable, however, they shared a son in common and after hearing each other out on a number of their issues an understanding was reached. They decided that they would at least try and be amicable for Henry's sake.

As Regina had prepared to leave that night after they had all eaten around a somewhat tense dinner table Snow grabbed her by the wrist, "Regina…you're not mad at me are you?"

"I don't like being tricked into forced confrontation. If I had wanted to work something out with your daughter I think I could have handled that on my own," Snow hung her head as if a bit ashamed of what she had done while Regina continued, "but…I have to say Snow that was a pretty gutsy move you pulled, and although I didn't like it, I did respect it and understand what you were trying to do. Maybe this will put your mind at ease. If you want to I'd like for you, David and Neal to join Henry, Tink and I for dinner next Friday at my house for a change. So what do you say?"

Snow White looked up with relief, "We'll be there."

* * *

Suddenly Regina heard a distinct rap on her door followed by the sound of multiple doorbell rings. Henry had told her he would arrive around 5:00pm a couple hours before anyone else arrived at 7:00pm. As she snaked her head out of the bathroom door she saw the clock on her nightstand read 3:00pm. He wasn't supposed to be here another two hours, but he had been super protective of her lately, maybe even over protective.

"I'll be down in just a minute sweetie!" she yelled as she rushed down the stairway using a towel to try and squeeze out the last bit of water from her hair so she wouldn't be a dripping mess.

She didn't bother to look out the peep hole and swung the door open fully expecting to see her son, "You're a little…." she stopped short dropping her towel as she found herself looking into the eyes of the last person she had expected to see on her doorstep.

He stood there staring at her. He hadn't been this close to her in over a month, and in this moment she didn't seem real to him. Here she was with her hair all wet and unfixed, no makeup, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and she still managed to look absolutely beautiful. He wanted to say so many things but instead all he said was her name, "Regina," it was all Robin could muster as he stood stone still afraid if he made a move towards her she would disappear again. She was so close to him and still he felt as though a vast chasm separated them. He didn't know why he did it, it was if she was a magnet and he was helpless against her pull, but whatever it was he couldn't seem to stop himself as he cautiously reached his hand out towards her. Maybe it was to try and bridge the gap between them, or maybe he was foolishly hoping that she would take it, granting him the smallest bit of physical contact that he so desperately longed for. When she immediately stepped back from him crossing her arms in front of herself as if being near him repulsed her it stung worse than he could have imagined. Finally he managed to speak again, "Regina please…I know…I know I don't deserve it…"

Regina surprised herself when she found herself speaking, "Robin, just stop….I get it," she said with a slight crack in her voice as she continued, "I get it…you have your wife back. Your beautiful sweet wife. Roland's mother…your first love," she looked up blinking her eyes furiously trying not to let him see her cry before looking back at him, "I've done terrible things Robin, why would you ever choose me?"

He knew it was a rhetorical question but it took everything he had not to answer her, to tell her all the reasons he wanted nothing more than to be with her, to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, to love her so intensely she wouldn't remember what it was like before, but he was honor bound to Marian and so he said the only thing he could think of that might lessen her obvious pain, "Regina…I'm so sorry…I never meant to hurt you. I don't want…I don't want," he put his hand up to his forehead in frustration as he began pacing back and forth in front of her doorway, "Dammit what am I trying to say? I don't want you to hate me. I want to be part of your life Regina," he looked at her his deep blue eyes pleading.

Regina was struggling to keep her emotions in check as she spoke, "But you did hurt me Robin. I want to tell you I'm strong enough to let you back in….but I just don't think I can," she reached her hand up to wipe away a tear that threatened to fall.

Robin's heart dropped into his stomach and he felt physically ill at her response because he knew what it meant, "You're going to shut me out aren't you?"

"I've got to protect my heart. It can only handle so much. I think everyone may have overestimated my so called resilience...maybe I just don't deserve to be loved in that way," she looked at him and now her dark brown eyes were pleading with him, "Robin, please just go and be with your family."

He didn't argue with her. He knew her mind was made up just as his had been when he had decided to make his marriage to Marian work. He hated it, what had happened between them. It just didn't feel right, but what could he do? Events out of his control had been set in motion and he was powerless to do anything about them. As he turned around and walked down her front steps he stopped and abruptly spun back to face her, "You're wrong you know. You're wrong about not deserving to be loved Regina," he looked at her intently before adding, "You deserve it all," and with that he about faced continuing to walk back towards his home, his family, what was now his new life.

* * *

Regina knew that Henry would be coming to meet her in a little over an hour, but after her close encounter with Robin she needed to get out and clear her head. She needed to regain her composure because if Henry found out Robin Hood had come to see her she wasn't so sure Henry wouldn't pay him an unannounced visit.

As she walked without any particular destination in mind she was sure to take every alley, and every back road that she knew to avoid running into any of the other people living in Storybrooke. Before she knew it she found herself walking through the forest to her "secret sitting spot". It had always the place she found herself when she needed to think with peace and quiet, the same place Robin had found her reading the note from Rumpelstiltskin.

As she breathed in the fresh air of the forest she smelled nothing but Robin. When she first met him she had despised the smell of pine and wildflowers that seemed to follow him wherever he went, referring to it as "absolutely repulsive", but as they had become closer his scent had grown on her, and by the time she realized she had fallen in love with him it had become her favorite scent. Even now that she couldn't be with Robin it gave her a sense of security.

Suddenly she was brought out of her own thoughts when she heard the distinct sound of a twig snapping and she whipped her head towards the sound, "Who's there?" she said with authority as she brought her hand up holding an orb of glowing flame, "Show yourself!"

She began to walk backwards keeping her eyes ahead where the noise had come from. Unexpectedly her foot hit against something solid and despite her attempt to stay standing she lost her balance and began to fall backwards. Her body met the ground with a solid thud and she felt a sharp pain as her head slammed against a stone that was embedded in the forest floor. Her head began to spin and she was barely holding onto consciousness. She felt a warm liquid that could only be blood begin to pool beneath her head. She was trying to move but it was hopeless as her body was just too weak. She knew it wouldn't be long until she passed out from loss of blood. Her vision could not focus and the last thing she saw was the silhouette of a man bending over her. She felt strong arms lift her up and then the world went black.


End file.
